Hairdresser on hosepipe attack charge

A SCARBOROUGH hairdresser has been found guilty of carrying an offensive weapon when she went to smash the windows of a home in Rowan Close as part of a dispute between neighbours.

Serena Moon, 36, had denied a charge of possessing an offensive weapon, resulting from being found with a length of hose with metal tips, but was found guilty by a jury at York Crown Court.

However the jury were still unable to decide whether Moon, of Prospect Road Mount, had used the weapon to assault the householder of the property on May 2, last year.

Moon, who has denied a charge of assaulting Nicola Richardson, of Rowan Close, occasioning her actual bodily harm, told the jury she had no idea why she went to the house, wearing blue latex gloves and denied taking the pipe with her concealed up her sleeve.

Moon, who admits criminal damage, smashed three windows and is then alleged to have attacked Miss Richardson when she and her partner James Bedford ran out of the house to find out what was going on.

Despite initial denials to the police about smashing the windows, Moon told the jury that she had done so with a brick, but still could not understand why and felt “absolutely devastated” by her actions because there were children in the house.

Alleging that Mr Bedford was said to be feared by half the people on their estate, Moon told the jury that after breaking the windows she tried to run away, but was caught and allegedly assaulted by both him and Miss Richardson.

Claiming that she had fought back in self-defence, Moon said it had been Mr Bedford who had first armed himself with the pipe and attacked her with it, before discarding it.

Adding that she had then picked the pipe up to attack him, but could not recall hitting anyone with it, Moon told the jury she had sustained injuries in the incident.

Miss Richardson told the court how chunks of her hair were pulled out by Moon and that she had suffered other injuries, including a laceration across her chest from being struck with the pipe.